Young O'Dorney became the Spelling Bee champion when he handled the word "serrefine." He admitted afterwards that he prefers mathematics and music to what he called "just a bunch of memorization," even if it did earn him $35,000 and a $5,000 scholarship, among other things.

"With the math," he told journalists, "I really like the way the numbers fit together." O'Dorney is also an accomplished pianist. On top of that, he juggles and has earned a tae-kwon-do black belt.

Participating in the AMC through the Berkeley Math Circle, O'Dorney managed a perfect paper on the AMC 10; scored 10 on the AIME; and had a 20 on the USAMO, which garnered him an Honorable Mention.